How to Find a Run Club
If you are looking to find like-minded individuals who help support your love of running, a run club may be something to add to your routine! A run club is a great way to stay motivated and explore your local community, and hey, you may even make some life long friends.
As the sport of running is seeming to grow more and more rapidly in recent years, finding a run club in your area is easier than ever. If you have access to social media, many run clubs will have an Instagram or Facebook page that posts their meet up times and locations. Another social app gaining popularity, Strava, may have pages for run clubs that post where their meetups will be and provide a space for runners to post and share their runs. Local running stores may also have information on when groups meet. If you have friends that love to run, they may simply know about run clubs just by word of mouth. The energy and support at these clubs is truly contagious. If you’re thinking about trying one out, a quick search to get information is an easy first step!
Worried about finding your right fit? Although all run clubs are similar in that they will have a group run meetup, there may be a club that feels more like home than others. It may just take coming out and trying different run clubs to find one that fits with your schedule and goals for running. Most cities will have run clubs that meet in the evening, as well as early morning; weekdays and weekends. Some run clubs may even offer a social hour after the run where you can bond with other runners and celebrate your accomplishment. Sometimes a reward of a coffee or beer from a local shop after the run can even be that extra motivation for showing up to each meetup.
Once you’ve found a run club that you enjoy participating in, you may be encouraged to sign up for a race as well. Some run clubs partner with organizations to provide discounted race entries to encourage runners to sign up. This is another great goal you might develop after participating in a run club regularly. If participating in a race seems intimidating, what better way to try one out than by running with your local run club. If you would rather cheer on the sidelines, that is okay too! Your run club may have a cheer zone where you can still support your buddies.
Social aspects aside, one of the most important things to remember is that anyone can run. It doesn’t matter your pace or distance, if you have twenty friends in the run club, one good running partner, or even if you’re just showing up for yourself and doing a solo run within the group. Everyone attending a run club shares the same goal of being active in your local community. It is an atmosphere of positivity and camaraderie. Attending a run club weekly or monthly can significantly help your motivation to stick with running and a healthy lifestyle.
-Jenna Hinkel, Graphic Designer at J&A Racing
